Beyu Caffé - Building a Community Brand that Matters

Is building a community-centric brand a marketing strategy or a business strategy? Well, as Dorian Bolden would say, “Without community, it’s just coffee.” Dorian is the founder and owner of Beyu Caffé as well as being the CEO and Chief Vision Office...

Show Notes
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Growing up as an only child and going from an all Black high school to a predominantly white college, Dorian wanted to grow a community where he could enjoy being around the people that he works with and enjoy the company of the clients. He was inspired to create Beyu Caffé as a place where a mix of people can be comfortable being themselves regardless of being from different races and backgrounds. The similarities to Atlanta and accessibility of nearby HBCUs made Durham, NC a perfect place for Dorian to set up his dream cafe.

Fostering a sense of community within your business can be a big draw for clients, especially with a business like a coffee shop. However, a community can be difficult to build, because it is not always profitable. It’s one thing to want to create a community, but another thing to have the business mindset to be able to pull it off.

Quotes

• “Seeing blackness in this cafe style environment was the inspiration, the origin of what I wanted to create. A place where you could just be you and Beyu Caffe.” (6:45-6:56 | Dorian)

• “Community has been difficult, because community and being profitable, having a business mindset, aren't always synonymous.” (16:32-16:43 | Dorian)

• “It was at that moment it hit me where it was no different than what we hear on the news with police officers shooting innocent Black people because they look threatening. It's the same thing with Black faces on the board. You're sadly going to look and appear not as smart.” (27:11-27:27 | Dorian)

Links

Connect with Dorian Bolden:

Dorian Bolden (Beyu Caffe | Instagram)

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